Strikeforce Challengers 19 takes place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Green’s fight is part of the event’s untelevised preliminary card while main-card action airs live on Showtime.

Green’s circumstances are better this time around. A lightweight champion in King of the Cage, he was released from his contract in the summer. Nine days later, he had a contract with Strikeforce, but he got a tough first outing: Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante at “Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Hendo.” The DREAM veteran was scheduled to face Lyle Beerbohm, but Beerbohm withdrew due to injury.

That left an opening for Green, but with a little more than a week to train, there wasn’t much he could do other than make sure he was in shape. Still, he fought his heart out in the fight and took Cavalcante to the scorecards.

There, the judges ruled “JZ” the winner. Green was heartbroken. While he’d given a seasoned veteran all he could handle, he ultimately had come up short.

“I bet my life on it today that I won that fight,” Green today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I’m 100 percent positive I won the fight. I controlled the fight, I landed more strikes. Just the way he ended each round made him look like the victor.

“I’m still a little hurt about it because I don’t know about ‘JZ.’ I think ‘JZ’ has more money. I think ‘JZ’ can mess around and take months off. I can’t do that. I have a son. I cried after that fight because that money was for him.”

On the bright side, his performance earned him a return fight against Spain, who makes his big-show debut. Now, Green is the veteran.

He’s had plenty of time to prepare for the spotlight. Now it’s time to get back on track.

Even though he didn’t start off on the right foot, he’s happy to have another opportunity.

“Really, I’m not going to say I should be here or anywhere,” Green said. “Who do you know who really makes it to the big show in three years? I made it here. Look at these guys who have been training for 10 years before they get into a big show.

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